PLUNDERING A CRYSTAL GROTTO. 



335 



decided, however, that Mr Speaker I who, contrary to the advice of the 

 had done quite right not tojpart guides, rode up the perilous ascent 



with his " bauble ;" and the House 

 accordingly, as the Journals inform 

 us, " adjourned themselves without 

 the mace." 



For a member to cross between 

 the chair and the mace when it is 

 taken from the table by the ser- 

 jeant-at-arms, is an offence which 

 it is the Speaker's duty to repri- 

 mand. 



If, however, a prisoner is brought 

 to the bar to give evidence or re- 

 ceive judgment, he is attended by 

 the serjeant-at-arms with the mace 

 on his shoulder, and however de- 

 sirous any member may be to ask 

 the prisoner a question, he cannot 

 do so, because the mace is not on 

 the table : he must therefore write 

 down his questions before the 

 prisoner appears, and propose them 

 through the Speaker, who is the 

 only person allowed to speak when 

 his " bauble" is away. 



If the House resolve itself into 

 a committee, the mace is thrust 

 under the table ; and Mr Speaker 

 leaves his chair. In short, much 

 of the deliberative proceedings of 

 this branch of the legislature are 

 regulated by the position in which 

 this important piece of furniture 

 is placed : to use the words of the 

 learned Hatsell, " When the mace 

 lies upon the table, it is a House ; 

 when under, it is a Committee. When 

 the mace is out of the House, no 

 business can be done : when from 

 the table and upon the Serjeant's 

 shoulder, the Speaker alone man- 

 ages." The mace, then, may be 

 called .the household god of the 

 House of Commons ; without the 

 presence of which, good fortune 

 could hardly attend its delibera- 

 tions : all honour to it ! 



PLUNDERING A CRYSTAL GROTTO. 



The inhabitants of Arta speak 

 with astonishment of an English 

 lady who had visited the cave, and 



to its entrance on horseback, a 

 thing never done or even attempted 

 by any other person within the 

 memory of man. The exploit of the 

 Englishwoman before - mentioned 

 reminds me of what took place in. 

 our country some years ago. There 

 is in a certain western county, and 

 on the estate of a nobleman, a cave 

 in the side of a hill, which is very 

 beautiful ; it is coated with the 

 stalactites of arragonite, and, as 

 that mineral is not common, those 

 who visited the cave frequently 

 broke off some of the most orna- 

 mental crystals, and carried them 

 away as valuable trophies. The 

 noble Lord to whom the cave be- 

 longed, in order to prevent this, 

 built a wall before the entrance, 

 and had a door made with a lock 

 to keep out depredators. An old 

 servant, who lived about a mile off, 

 had charge of the key, and those 

 who wished to see the wonders of 

 the cavern were obliged to have re- 

 course to this man, who thus made 

 a kind of benefice of it. He pro- 

 vided flint and steel, tinder, can- 

 dles, and all other requisites for 

 exploring, charging for them and 

 his own trouble according to a tariff 

 rather higher, perhaps, than would 

 have been sanctioned by free trade. 

 It happened once that a party of 

 gentlemen, men of rank, learning, 

 and fortune, started on an expedi- 

 tion to explore this cave, and, if 

 possible, to obtain, in despite of the 

 dragon, a few crystals of arragonite. 

 They went to the grasping old 

 janitor, and ho, with his usual load, 

 and more than his usual politeness, 

 accoinpniiiril them. As the party 

 proceeded, their talk was of geology 

 and chemistry, and all cognate 

 sciences. " See," said an M.I)., as 

 he stooped down by the side of & 



bnn)k, "hen- is n.-itivo sulphur; let 

 us see if it is pure enough to burn. 

 Lend me your Hint and steel, my 



